Object Programs

Object programs (oprogs) bring items to life. They let weapons react during combat, potions produce custom effects when consumed, chests spring traps, furniture trigger events when sat on, and puzzle items respond to speech or actions. Any object in the game can have one or more programs attached to it.

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When to Use Object Programs

Use an object program whenever you need an item to do something beyond its basic stats. Common use cases:

Use Case Typical Triggers Example
Equipment effects wear, remove, fight A ring that grants fire resistance when worn
Consumables use, eat, drink, recite A potion that teleports the drinker
Interactive objects push, pull, turn, touch A lever that opens a secret door
Puzzle items speech, sayto, verb A crystal that responds to a password
Trapped containers open, get, preget A chest that explodes when opened
Furniture sit, rest, sleep, stand A throne that grants a buff while seated
Growing/evolving items fight, afterkill, tick A weapon that gains power with each kill
Quest items quest_complete, quest_cancel A token that transforms on quest completion

If the behavior you want is purely stat-based (a sword that does fire damage, armor with a spell affect), you may not need a program at all — the object’s built-in values handle that. Programs are for custom logic that the engine does not already provide.

How Object Programs Work

An object program has two parts:

  1. Trigger — tells the game when to run the program (for example, “when someone wears this item” or “25% of the time each combat round”).
  2. Script body — the list of commands that run when the trigger fires.

Every command in the script body starts with the obj prefix:

obj echo The sword hums with power.
obj echoat $n You feel the weapon pulse in your hand.
obj damage $n 50

For a refresher on prefixes, comments, variables, and control flow, see Scripting Basics.

Creating an Object Program with opedit

You attach programs to objects through the object editor (oedit). Here is a complete walkthrough.

Step 1 — Open the Object

Enter the object editor for the item you want to script:

oedit <vnum>

For example, oedit 3001 opens object 3001 for editing.

Step 2 — Open the Program Editor

From inside oedit, type:

opedit

This opens the object’s program list. If the object has no programs yet, the list is empty.

Step 3 — Create a New Program 

create

This creates a new, blank program and assigns it the next available slot number.

Step 4 — Set the Trigger 

trigger <trigger_name>

For example:

trigger wear

This tells the game to run this program when the object is worn. See Triggers for the complete trigger list.

Step 5 — Set the Phrase 

phrase <value>

The phrase meaning depends on the trigger type:

  • Percent triggers (most triggers): phrase 100 means “fire every time,” phrase 25 means “fire 25% of the time.”
  • Keyword triggers (speech, act, sayto, verb): phrase open sesame means “fire when someone says ‘open sesame’.”
  • Direction triggers (exit, exall): phrase 0 means north, 1 east, 2 south, 3 west, 4 up, 5 down.

Step 6 — Write the Script 

code

This opens the line editor. Type your script, one command per line:

obj echoat $n {CThe amulet glows brightly as you put it on.{x
obj echoaround $n $N's amulet begins to glow with a soft blue light.
obj addaffectname $n amulet_protection 200

Type . on a blank line to finish editing.

Step 7 — Save and Exit 

done

Returns to oedit. Then type done again to save the object. The program is now live — any instance of that object will run the program when the trigger fires.

Quick Reference

Topic Link
All object triggers Triggers
All object commands Commands
Worked examples Examples
Commands shared across all entity types Shared Commands Reference
Variables, quick codes, and color codes Variables and Tokens
Control flow (if, or, endif, switch) Scripting Basics

Tips

  • Comments start with ** (two asterisks). Use them generously — future you will thank present you.
  • lastreturn is set by many commands to indicate success (1) or failure (0). Check it with if lastreturn == 1 right after the command.
  • selfdestruct causes the object to destroy itself. Useful for one-use consumables.
  • pre* triggers (like prewear, preget, preput) fire before the action and can prevent it. Use them for restrictions (“you are not worthy to wield this blade”).
  • Variables persist across trigger firings. Use obj varset and obj varclear to track state — for example, counting how many times a weapon has been used in combat.

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